title: Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on inflammatory markers in middle-aged overweight women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to investigate whether magnesium supplementation might affect serum magnesium, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), plasma fibrinogen, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels in healthy middle-aged overweight women. The relationships, if any, between serum magnesium and the inflammatory markers were also examined cross-sectionally in the entire participants at the beginning of the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  This double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized trial included 74 middle-aged overweight women. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either 250 mg magnesium as magnesium oxide or placebo daily for 8 weeks. Serum magnesium, hs-CRP, fibrinogen and IL-6 concentrations were measured before and after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum magnesium was found to be inversely correlated with hs-CRP (rs =-0.22, P=0.05) in the entire participants at baseline. Serum hs-CRP declined significantly in both groups as compared with baseline values (median change=0.8 mg/L; PMagnesium= 0.03, PPlacebo < 0.001). Plasma fibrinogen decreased significantly, by 9%, in the magnesium group at the end of week 8 compared to baseline (P=0.001). Mean concentration of IL-6 was significantly increased in the magnesium group comparing the baseline value(P=0.001). However hs-CRP, fibrinogen and IL-6 levels at week 8 or any changes during the study were not statistically different between the two groups. Serum magnesium showed no significant changes in any groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum magnesium had a significant inverse correlation with hs-CRP. In the present study, magnesium as magnesium oxide, 250 mg/day, for 8 weeks did not significantly attenuate inflammatory markers in the magnesium group as compared to the placebo.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Nazanin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moslehi
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vafa
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahimi-Foroushani
authors.forename: Banafsheh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Golestan
keywords: IL-6; Magnesium; hs-CRP; middle-aged women; overweight; systemic inflammation